Flat purl knitting machine



Sept. 3, 1963 o. KEMPF 3,102,403

FLAT PURL KNITTING MACHINE Filed June 25, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 3, 1963 o, KEMPF 'FLAT PURL KNITTING MACHINE Filed June v23, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,102,403 FLAT PURL KNITTING MACHINE Oskar Kempf, Rorschach, Switzerland, assigner to August Belz, Goldach, Switzerland Filed .lune 23, 1961, Ser. No. 119,124 Claims priority, application Switzerland June 24, 1960 2 Claims. (Cl. 66-63) The present invention relates to a flat purl knitting machine having two opposite needle beds, double-head needles being driven by associated flat bars guided in the said needle beds out oi lone needle bed, to be engaged in a middle position byv the corresponding flat bar of the opposite needle bed and to be' pulled by said flat bar into said opposite needle bed.

In known hat purl knitting machines of this kind it sometimes happens that a that bar yfails to engage, or

loses, a needle so that said needle remains lying loosely i between the two needle beds. This leads toa break down at the next pass of the cam :carriage which can be put right only after lifting yoft said .carriage, and this causes an undesirable interruption of operation.

The invention has the primary object of overcoming this disadvantage. With this and other objects in view, which will become apparent later from this specication and accompanying drawings, I provide a at purl knitting machine comprising in combination: two needle beds in juxtaposition to one another, a plurality of slide-rs guided in grooves of the said beds for reciprocating move'- ments, two presser rails each extending transversely across one of the said needle beds above the said sliders lguided in the associated needle bed, a plurality of double-head needles each capable of being coupled to and reciprocated by one of the said sliders in each of the said needle beds, each of the said presser rails having a recess on its lower edge allowing the said sliders, which are normally held down by the said presser rails, to give way upwardly in their fully extended positions and thereby to engage their associated needles,` and a slidable slot cover shiftably mounted on each of the said presserrails in the range of the said recess and having a downward projection overlapping the said sliders at the beginning of their withdrawal from their fully pushed out position and thereby preventing them from yielding upwardly.

Preferably the said slidable slot covers have longitudinal slots enlarged at both ends, guide pins fixed to the said presser rails engaging the said slots and guiding the said slidable slot covers longitudinally while allowing them to be raised at the enlarged ends of the said slots.

Needles which happen to lie loosely between the two needle beds are automatically engaged by the associated sliders and fitted again into the correct needle bed by this device at the passage of the cam carriage.

These and other features of my said invention will be clearly understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a presser rail with amova-ble slider,

FIG. 2 is a cross section on the line lI-II of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the presser rail according to FIG. 1, and

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of the manner of functioning roi this device.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show a presser rail 1 which is arranged at each of the two cam mechanisms of the carriage of a ilat purl knitting machine, viz. in the direction of movement of the carriage, i.e. at a right angle to the sliders. The presser rail 1 has a recess 2 which permits the sliders to give way upwardly in its ran-ge. A slidable slot cover 6 is attached to the presser rail l by means of two pins 3 in such a manner that it can be displaced a certain disicc tance along the rail 1. For this purpose two longitudinal slots 4 are provided in the slidable slot cover, a pin 3 reaching through each of them. At Iboth ends of the slots 4 enlargements 4a are provided Which allow the slidable slot cover totrise slightly in the end positions. The slidable slot cover has a projection 5 protruding downwardly beyond the lower edge of the presser rail. 'The lateral edges 5a of the projection 5 are rounded or chamfered in order that the projection S may nun up the sliders upon a movement of the cam carriage. Thereby the slidable slot cover is displaced along the presser rail 1 at each stroke of the carriage in the direction `opposite to that of the carriage, until it has reached its actual end position. In the latter it can be lifted owing to the enlargement 4a until the lower edge `onf the projection -5 is flush with the lower edge of the presser rail 1 outside the recess. The projection 5 accordingly forms a lock within the range ofthe recess 2, which prevents the lifting of the sliders. 'Ihe dimensions lof the recess 2 and of the projection 5` are chosen in such a manner, that the sliders are always overlapped by the projection 5 at the movement of being prilled olf 'or of being driven back, so that the needles coupled to them cannot disengage themselves.

The manner of functioning of the ydevice is illustrated in more detail in FIG. 4. The latter slrows in `diagrammatic illustration a plan View `of the two needle beds lll, 10 of a [flat purl knitting machine in the range of the cam carriage. The 4guide channels for the sliders 12, 12a and needles 13 are `denoted by 11, r11. The two guide paths of the cam mechanism are denoted by a and. a' in which the butts 14, 14a carry along the sliders at the passage of the carriages, whereby the movements of the sliders are determined. Moreover the two presser rails 1, 1 and the slidable slot covers 6, 6 shiftably mounted on them are shown. The recesses in the presser rails l, 1 are denoted by 2 and 2', respectively, and the projections on the slidable slot `covers are denoted by '5 and `5' respectively.

On the left hand side of FIG. 4 two sliders 12, 12a `are shown, turned at right angles relative to their basic position. Between them lies a needle 13, which is tov be coupled automatically, at the passage of the cam carriage, to that slider to which it belongs in accordance with .the pattern actually knitted.

The steep rise of the guide path a in the section j is opposite to a straight section o. of the guide path a which extends in the direction of the 'carriage movement. The section f lies within the recess 2 of the presser rail l. 'The opposite section o', however, is being overlapped by the presser rail 1', the recess 2 of which is located over the sections h', g and f. When the `cam `carriage runs from right to left, the slider 12a pushes the needle ahead of itself with its nose 15a. In the section o' the slider 12a remains at rest, while the `opposite slider 12 is driven out in the section f. Since it can give way upwardly owing to the recess 2, its nose 15 slides over the head 16 of the needle so that the same hooks itself into the recess 17 ci the slider 121. This state is indicated in the drawing in dotted lines, which show the sliders and the needle turned Upon further movement of the cam carriage the sliders 12a are pushed out further. Thereby also the slider 12a gets into the range of the recess 2. Accordingly it can likewise .give way upwardly, so that the head 16a hooks itself into the recess 17a. Consequently both sliders 12 and 12a are coupled to the needle 13.

Already in the section g the ilat needle pusher bar 12 is being overlapped by the projection 5 of the slider 6, While the flat needle pusher bar `12a in the opposite sections h and g' is [driven iiurther out, and is in the range of the recess 2. In the section h the ilat bar l2 is with- 3 drawn more `quickly than the Hat bar 12a is driven out in the section g. The needle 13 accordingly disengages itself in this se'ctfion fnom the recess 17a of the at bar 12a, and is withdrawn by the at bar 12. In the section f', the flat lbar 12a is then likewise being overlapped by the projection 5. The needle 13 accordingly coupled to the flat fbar 112 to which it is associated in accordance with the pattern actually knitted.

During the carriage stnoke from left to right the two Vslidalble slot covers 6, `6 are shifted to the left over the length of the slots 4 (FIG. 1) and the same cycle is performed in the reverse, lin case again a needle happens to lie in the middle between the two needle beds.

By the same device it has also (been made possible to switch the :calms atV any end position Idesired of the carniage into the left-left-position, rwith the object Iof arranging the needles at the latest at the second stroke of the carriage in accordance with the .pattern to be knitted, without causing any disturbance in the passage of `the carriage such as pressing-in of the needles, jamming 'of the cam mechanism Ior lifting off of the carriage. g

While I have herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings what may :be considered a typical and particularly useful embodiment of my said invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the particular details and dimensions described and illustrated; fior obvious modifications will 'occur to a person skilled :in the art.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A at purl knitting machine comprising in combination: two needle fbeds in juxtaposition to one another, a plurality of sliders guided lin grooves of the said beds for reciprocating movements, two pres-ser rails each extending transversely across one of the said needle beds above the said sliders guided in the associated needle bed, a plurality or" double-head needles each capable of Ibeing coupled to and reciprocated by one of the said sliders in each of the said needle Ibeds, each 'of the said presser rails having a recess on its lower edge allowing the said sliders, which are normally held down iby the said presser rails to yield upwardly in their fully extended position, and thereby to engage their associated needles, and a slidalble slot cover shiftalbly mounted on each of the said presser rails in the range yof the said recess thereof and having a down Ward projection overlapping the said sliders at the beginning of their withdrawal from their fully extended position and thereby preventing them from yielding 'up wardly.

2. A ilat purl knitting machine as claimed in claim l, wherein the said slidable slot covers have longitudinal slots-enlarged at both ends, and guide pins are :fixed to the said presser rails engaging the said slots andy guiding the said slidable slot covers longitudinally, while allowing them to be raised at the enlarged ends yof the said slots.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,029,494 Dubie'd June 11, 1912 

1. A FLAT PURL KNITTING MACHINE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: TWO NEEDLE BEDS IN JUXTAPOSITION TO ONE ANOTHER, A PLURALITY OF SLIDERS GUIDED IN GROOVES OF THE SAID BEDS FOR RECIPROCATING MOVEMENTS, TWO PRESSER RAILS EACH EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY ACROSS ONE OF THE SAID NEEDLE BEDS ABOVE THE SAID SLIDERS GUIDED IN THE ASSOCIATED NEEDLE BED, A PLURALITY OF DOUBLE-HEAD NEEDLES EACH CAPABLE OF BEING COUPLED TO AND RECIPROCATED BY ONE OF THE SAID SLIDERS IN EACH OF THE SAID NEEDLE BEDS, EACH OF THE SAID PRESSER RAILS HAVING A RECESS ON ITS LOWER EDGE ALLOWING THE SAID SLIDERS, WHICH ARE NORMALLY HELD DOWN BY THE SAID PRESSER RAILS TO YIELD UPWARDLY IN THEIR FULLY EXTENDED POSITION, AND THEREBY TO ENGAGE THEIR ASSOCIATED NEEDLES, AND A SLIDABLE SLOT COVER SHIFTABLY MOUNTED ON EACH OF THE SAID PRESSER RAILS IN THE RANGE OF THE SAID RECESS THEREOF AND HAVING A DOWNWARD PROJECTION OVERLAPPING THE SAID SLIDERS AT THE BEGINNING OF THEIR WITHDRAWAL FROM THEIR FULLY EXTENDED POSITION AND THEREBY PREVENTING THEM FROM YIELDING UPWARDLY. 